China Open—Beijing
Top seed Rafael Nadal lost his first-ever match in Beijing on Saturday, losing in comprehensive fashion to Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-3.
The Spaniard was never able to settle into the one hour and 22 minute contest, dropping his first ever match to his Croatian opponent.
Cilic, who stands 6'6", played millennium tennis to reach his third final of the season, previously recording wins in Chennia, India, and Zagreb, Croatia.
Cilic's blazing ground game broke Nadal on five occasions, while winning 77 percent of his first serve points. The Zagreb native squandered four match points before striking a forehand winner down-the-line to advance.
Nadal's loss once again exemplified his vulnerability when playing power hitters.
Juan Martin del Potro produced a similar performance against Nadal during the semifinals of the US Open, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated the Spaniard in a powerhouse performance on his way to making his first Grand Slam final during the 2008 Australian Open.
Nadal's spin oriented game is suspect against flatter hitter, and if intends to remain competitive with the like of Cilic, del Potro and Tsonga he must acquire the use of a flatter hit ball.
Make no mistake about it folks, Nadal was not injured during Saturday's encounter against Cilic—there were no excuses—he was simply outplayed by a bigger, stronger man.
Cilic, who often times made it seem as though he was playing ping pong as opposed to tennis, improved to 7-14 against top 10 players lifetime, backing up his fourth round US Open win over Andy Murray.
“From the beginning of the match until the end I didn’t let my level of play drop and definitely I came into the match really good,” Cilic said. “I was aggressive when I had to be."
“The best thing I did today: I didn’t back off, I was just stubborn with my style of play.”
Nadal, who left China's National Tennis Center in utter disbelief, had this to say after his defeat.
“He was serving unbelievably and his returning was very fast and playing winners all the time,” Nadal assessed. “The worst thing for me was that when I had a little bit of a chance to come back to the match I didn’t play very well, either.
“If you’re losing 6-1, 6-3, there are a lot of things you’re doing wrong in that match. I can accept to win, I can accept to lose, but 6-1, 6-3 is…mentally, I probably wasn’t there.”
Whatever the case, Nadal will now head to Shanghai to take part in the inaugural Shanghai Masters 1000. The Spaniard will receive a first round bye, and battle either James Blake or Ivo Karlovic in round two.
With the win, Cilic will head to his first ever final in Asia where he will battle No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian star advanced to his eighth final of the year, breezing past Robin Soderling, 6-3, 6-3.
Djokovic was razor sharp when striking his passing shots during the one hour and 21 minute contest, breaking Soderling's serve on four occasions while winning 80 percent of his first serve points.
Djokovic captured his fourth straight victory over Soderling, improving his year-to-date record to a tour leading 62-17.
“I assure you that it was a lot more difficult because he’s a big server, a big hitter and he was very aggressive throughout the whole match,” said Djokovic.
“So I was very patient and I waited for my chances that were given to me and I used them at the right time.”
With the win, Djokovic will overtake Andy Murray for the No. 3 spot on October 19, due to the Scot's recent injuries woes.
The Serb will be vying for his 14th career ATP World Tour title on Sunday, taking a commanding 3-0 head-to-head over Cilic.
Cilic addressed the challenge of defeating Djokovic after losing to him on three previous occasions. The optimistic youngster sent a warning out to this rival.
"We [have] played three times and I lost [all three], but I think this time I’m playing better here at this tournament," Cilic assessed.
"With [a] new match, [there] is always a new opportunity. I believe I can give [a] performance like I did today, and if I can do as well as I did today then I think I have a shot."
Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships—Tokyo
No. 2 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sent a stern message to the rest of the ATP World Tour on Saturday, dismantling French countryman Gael Monfils, 6-3, 6-3.
Tsonga dominated the 55-minute contest with precise groundstrokes and strong net play.
Tsonga's serve was devastating as well, striking nine aces and winning 97 percent of his first serve points.
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